Denver and the West

Elbert County sheriff plans to put reserve cops in schools

Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap, who has fought anti-gun legislation in the state, plans to put armed reserve officers in some county schools for the upcoming school year.

Heap has talked to several school districts that have schools in unincorporated areas of Elbert County, and they are onboard with the move, Heap said.

"It's important to protect our children," Heap said.

The schools that could see the reserve officers are Singing Hills Elementary, Legacy Academy, Elbert School and Agate School. Heap is also working with officials in Simla about participating.

Other schools in the county are served by municipalities such as Kiowa and Elizabeth that have their own police departments.

The move to have police in schools comes after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., where gunman Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Some schools in Colorado have school resources officers that are actual police officers and are there full time, but smaller school districts and law enforcement agencies can't afford to have a full-time school resource officer at all schools all the time.

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Dove Creek, a small school district in southwest Colorado, recently passed a measure to allow two administrators to carry guns in schools, bypassing a state law that says only peace and security officers can do so.

Reserve officers in Elbert County work with the sheriff's department in order to keep up their peace officer certification but they are not on the county payroll, Heap said.

The reserve officers will be trained this summer, then dispatched to the selected schools, most likely in an Elbert County Sheriff's Department vehicle that will be parked at the school and have the latest communications technology on board.

A police presence is always a welcome sight at the Elbert School in the remote town of Elbert, said Elbert Superintendent Kelli Loflin. The superintendent said deputies routinely stop in at the school to check on things, but a more permanent law enforcement officer presence would be a good thing.

"I feel like our buildings are safe, but knowing they can be here and be familiar, it makes us feel much safer and gives parents a level of comfort," Loflin said. "We're far removed, and response times can be a little tricky."

Elbert County Commissioner Kurt Schlegel said he's all for reserve officers being in the schools as long as it doesn't cost the county money.

"I'm always concerned about any additional costs, but if the sheriff can do it without an impact to the general fund, I'm all for it," Schlegel said.

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